Chapter 47
METILAI
As soon as Terena realized Orry was the entertainment Solon promised his guests, all the light from the room vanished, blanketing them in deepest black.
Guests screamed and rushed about like headless chickens. Terena shoved her way toward the dais as the darkness disappeared. The sudden brightness made others around her cry out, and Terena ripped off her helm. Throwing it across the room in her rage, she snarled as Christos and Solon gaped at her.
She stood alone in the center of the ballroom, the guests huddled together trying to get even further away. Her eyes searched for Vassori, but the tracker was nowhere to be found. Her eyes returned to the dais.
To Solon.
“Get her, you fool!”the emperor screeched at an Imperial Guard closest to him, and the man rushed forward.
Terena snapped out her hands and the Twins formed in them, the short swords flashing red, crackling with the power of fiery lightning.
Before the guard raised his arm, she stepped forward, bringing her arms in and slashed out. His head flew up in the air before following his body down to the ground.
Screams and cries renewed as the guests fought to get further away from her.
“You know,” Terena said, glaring at the terrified emperor, a red haze at the edge of her vision.
“I was going to let you live. For Lerek’s sake.
I was going to make a scene and leave once I had my brother back.
” She scoffed. “But you couldn’t leave well enough alone, could you?
You didn’t heed my warning all those months ago.
You did not learn from what I did to Duke Ravos’s men.
No, Emperor. Instead, you took my brother.
You took my friend and… you tortured him?
” Terena swallowed. “He’s done nothing to you!
Bringing Orry before these… these sycophants, for what?
To harm me? Is this how you rule? Picking on the weak? He’s a fucking cleric! He doesn’t—”
“Ren!” Orry shouted, his face a mess of multicolored bruises, the right side of his jaw swollen so badly he lisped. “He has it! I’m sorry! I’m so sorry, I couldn’t—”
High Cleric Christos grabbed Orry’s hair and yanked his head back. Terena lurched forward as Christos screamed something unintelligible and swiped a blade across Orry’s throat.
Terena’s breath caught, watching in horrified denial as Orry grabbed at his neck, blood all over his fingers and down his wrists as he fell, his body twitching.
All around her, people cried out, pushing and shoving to get away as Terena’s heart shattered. Her frame shook, head to toe, as her mind fought to make sense of what her eyes were seeing. Blood roared in her ears but she stood rooted, staring.
Orry stared back at her, the light leaving his eyes as his lips parted.
In stunned silence, Terena looked up at High Cleric Christos, whose wicked grin widened as he pulled a young woman in front him.
She cried out and stumbled, and Terena watched her dispassionately.
Her blonde hair shook as she moved, torn from its pins, and her arms, marred with bruises, flailed against Christos.
The girl sobbed, fighting against the cleric’s hold as he screamed at her to use her amulet.
Terena glanced down at the jewel resting at the woman’s chest.
An emerald amulet.
Chaos raged around her and Terena finally understood.
Terena roared, the sound ripped from her soul. Her body levitated, her hair lifting and crackling like a roaring fire, every inch of her skin alight as her eyes blazed with red heat, blocking her vision for a moment.
Terena whipped her hands out over and over, releasing the short swords at the dais. More blades materialized in her hands, red phantom swords, thrown with all her might as she raged.
Landing with a ground-shaking boom on one knee, Terena lifted her head to glare up at the dais. She smiled at the emperor laying there, multiple wounds bleeding profusely as he stared at her in mute horror. High Cleric Christos was nowhere in sight.
Terena stood, stalking toward the dais and the dying emperor. He held up a feeble hand, squeezing his eyes shut before opening them up to beseech her.
“It’s all coming to pass,” he whimpered when Terena crouched before him. “Everything she said. I thought I could stop it. He said we could stop it.”
Terena gazed at the fallen emperor with disdain. She spared a glance around as the room emptied, someone finally having opened the doors.
“Where is Christos?”
Solon exhaled and blood oozed out his mouth. He licked his lips, his face pale as he lifted fearful eyes. He shook his head and cried. “We are doomed. We are doomed.”
“Aye,” Terena said without inflection. She summoned one of her swords and with a quick twist of her wrist, slammed it into Solon’s chest. He wheezed, his eyes going wide.
He whispered something and she leaned in to hear. Pulling back, she frowned down at him. He was still.
Terena turned away from the dead emperor, fresh tears blurring her vision as she moved over to to Orry.
Her friend’s eyes were still open, glassy and unseeing.
His face was white beneath the fresh bruises and she prodded at his shoulder.
A sob escaped her throat and she almost choked trying to stop the overwhelming rush of agony.
Standing abruptly, Terena threw her head back and roared. Every candle and torch snuffed out, leaving the room darkened once more.
“CHRISTOS!”
Rydon ran with Gabe behind Prince Lerek, bursting onto a chaotic scene when they reached the great hall.
People screamed and ran every which way.
There were only a handful of guards, City Watch by the look of their uniforms, all of them shouting at each other and the people as they tried to gain some kind of order. It was impossible.
The prince led them to the grand ballroom, the doors on the ground in a broken mess of splintered wood and metal. The interior of the room was dark and an ominous feeling shuddered through Rydon as he gripped his sword tight.
Stopping short at the sight before them, Rydon blinked. A moment later he was running.
“Ren,” he said, crouching beside Terena’s sobbing frame. She was crouched over someone, her body shaking with the ferocity of her cries and she wailed anew when he tried to pry her away.
“No!” she shrieked, thrusting her arm out. The force of it knocked him back on his ass.
Gabriol and the prince came up on the other side of her, Lerek’s eyes wide and his mouth hanging open as he stared down at Ren. He dropped to his knees, his eyes welling as he reached out a tentative hand.
Terena snapped forward, ready to bite his hand as she shrieked again. “Don’t you fucking touch him!”
As if realizing who he was, Ren blinked stupidly at the prince before she looked around, a crazy gleam in her eyes as she swiped a hand over her face.
At last, she spotted Rydon and threw herself into his arms. Great wracking sobs shook her body, and he tightened his hold, burying his hand in her hair as he tucked her head into his neck.
A long time passed before Ren lifted her head and sniffed, snot and tears marring her features.
“Where is he? Where is Croak?”
Rydon glanced up at Gabe. He’d gotten an abbreviated version of what happened in the dungeons, but he waited for Lerek to speak.
Prince Lerek sat back on his haunches and spread his hands in a defeated motion.
“I’m… I’m sorry,” he said, his voice cracking.
Terena stared at him a moment. She began breathing heavily, fast, her chest rising and falling alarmingly as Rydon tried to comfort her.
“What? What?” Terena whimpered, clutching Rydon’s sleeve with one hand as she wiped furiously at her face. “Tell me!”
The prince hung his head for a moment. Everything seemed suspended. Rydon swore under his breath at Lerek’s cowardice.
“He’s been taken,” Gabriol said, trying to soften his words with an awkward pat on her shoulder. Ren jerked around, her eyes confused.
“Taken? Taken where?”
Rydon glared up at the prince who was watching them, dumbstruck. “Well?”
“I don’t… I don’t know. I… we got down to the dungeons and he was already gone. Serephina—”
Terena moved, jumping to her feet as her eyes focused, glaring daggers at the hapless prince. “Serephina? What’s she to do with my brother?”
Lerek exhaled and shook his head. Rydon cursed again. The prince was in shock.
He grabbed Ren’s sleeve to turn her attention back to him.
“Xoran betrayed you. Us. I don’t know the details but he must have told her of our plans. She said she sold Croak and then left her men to kill Gabe and Prince Lerek.”
Terena became so still, Rydon exchanged an uneasy glance with his friend.
“She sold him?”
Rydon winced at her whispered words. “Aye.”
“Where? To whom?”
Rydon glanced at the prince again and gave a short shake of his head. “We don’t know.”
Terena turned to Lerek who stared back at her as if she’d just spat in his face.
“You don’t know?”
Lerek shook his head vigorously. Rydon rose to his feet. Gabriol ran to the doors with his sword drawn as shouting and cries rang out, getting closer.
Ren laughed. The laughter grew in volume until she threw her head back, eyes shut.
She screamed at the ceiling and every window in the room blew out.
Lerek’s hands shook, shielding himself from the spray of glass as he huddled near Orry’s body.
Silence thickened around them after Terena’s rage died down, and he glanced up to see her crestfallen face looking down at the ground, her shoulders slumped in defeat.
“Hermes is here!”
Cringing at Gabriol’s shout as he barreled back toward them, Lerek got to his feet slowly. He spared a glance at Terena.
“We need to go. Now. He’s here.”
“How close?” Rydon asked, bending to pick up his discarded sword. Lerek flexed his hands as he swung his gaze between the men.
“Close. They’ve sacked the city.”
“Fuck!” Rydon scrubbed his hands up and down his face, before turning to scowl at Terena. “We need to get you out of here. Now. Go with Gabe. I’ve got to get out there and stall him. I promised Daris I’d find a way for him to get inside before the others do but it looks like it’s too—fuck!”
Lerek flinched at Rydon’s outburst, backing away several steps.
“Take Ren—hey!”
Lerek turned frightened eyes on Rydon as the man snapped his fingers in Lerek’s face.
“What?”
“Take her out through the dungeons. You know the way?”
Lerek nodded. “Aye.”
“Good,” Rydon grumbled turning his attention to Gabriol. “Where’s Cassandra?”
Gabriol glanced around the remnants of the once magnificent ballroom and scowled. “She was here, with Migela. But I’ve not seen her since I’ve been with the prince.”
Rydon groaned. “I’ll find them. Take Ren and the prince and go. Don’t worry about getting word back to us, we’ll find you.”
“Sonah—”
“It’ll have to wait, Ren!” Rydon shouted as Terena started for the doors. He grabbed her by the elbow and spun her back. “We will find you. I’ll keep her safe. I promise you.”
Shouts outside the doors sounded and Lerek’s head swiveled to the doors.
“What was that?”
“Fuck.” Rydon smothered a shout as he cursed. “They’re here. Go. Get her out of here now.”
Gabriol grabbed hold of Terena’s arm and hustled her away as Lerek stood rooted to the spot. More shouts sounded behind them and when Lerek turned his gaze back to the dais he stilled.
He hadn’t noticed him before. Lerek took a tentative step closer and his chin shook as he took in his father’s lifeless body.
At a shout from Gabriol, Lerek shook himself out of his stupor and gave his father one last look.
“Goodbye, father.”
Turning, Lerek ran after the others.
Something was happening.
The ground beneath them shook and he exchanged a look with Melanos. The god was frowning as if he knew what was coming but before Daris could ask, Hermes shoved his way between them, a manic grin transforming his features.
“Take the city!”
His roar triggered answering shouts from his men and they rushed forward, the thunder of hooves deafening. Daris and Melanos were a moment behind, heads low over their mounts as they careened toward the gates.
Hermes held out a hand as they neared, and the gates burst into thousands of pieces.
The next half hour was a blur of blood and madness. Daris fought beside Melanos and the Liodari, his movements precise, his kills swift. The power he felt now was unlike the immortality granted to him by Athena. No, this was something else.
This was Melanos.
The God of Heroes fought beside them, infusing them with added strength and courage as he’d done back in Ravos.
“To the palace! Push on to the palace!”
Daris gutted the man he fought, looking around when he heard Soros’s shout. The captain and a score of men ran through the streets, shouting and yelling with swords raised.
“We have to get there before Hermes!” Daris shouted to Melanos.
The giant god smashed the head of one of the Heylian soldiers, pointed to Daris and nodded.
He knew Melanos was still worried about Bethana, but the moment Hermes had focused on Metilai and sacking the city, the nymph was no longer in danger. Leander would watch over her and Sonah.
When Sonah had come tearing out of Hermes’s tent earlier, she’d made Rydon go to the palace in place of Daris. He’d objected, only to have Sonah yell at him he was no longer immortal, and Ren would kill her if he died because of Sonah. Rydon had agreed, even as Daris chaffed at being left behind.
He was a warrior, ready to die for Terena, and no one would stop him.
Melanos had stopped him with a bonk to his head from his giant, meaty fist. By the time Daris had come around, Rydon was already gone.
As they made their way through the city now, Daris spared a thought to the carnage surrounding them.
This was worse than any he’d seen in battle before, and he scowled at the bodies littering the city streets as they neared the palace.
Most of the casualties were ordinary citizens.
His blood boiled as they passed yet another woman with deep wounds, dead eyes staring into the night.
“How will we get inside?” Melanos yelled over to him as they ran.
“Rydon will come out. Be ready.”
Just as they approached the palace gates, another quake shook the ground beneath them. Daris stumbled as Hermes cackled ahead of them. A second later, they all dropped back as every window in the palace exploded.